“It never becomes easier. Obviously life doesn't stop for you. You have to move forward, and you have to move on, and we have two beautiful boys who need us to do that. So you try to make everyday life as normal as possible, and those thoughts (of Annie) enter your mind daily.”

Dennis Kasprzak

"From, 'Yep, these are her earrings,' to 'These are the earrings she got me,' 'These are the ones she'd be borrowing with or without permission,'" she said. "When you see the teenagers hanging out. When you see the kids walking down the street. It's just that, as chaotic as it was sometimes, that's just the way it was supposed to be. It feels too quiet sometimes without her around. It's just hard doing all the things that we still do every day, and there's just boys in the house now."

Moving on has been made more difficult, Veronica Kasprzak said, because her daughter's death remains unresolved. It's also hard when others are constantly reminding her what happened, she said.

"Even at times when you're not expecting it, everybody brings up that connection," Veronica Kasprzak said.

She once attended a workshop for a therapist training session, and the person giving the presentation used Annie's story, not knowing her mother was in the room.

"(She said), 'I'll bet that girl who lived in Riverton that left her house never thought that this would happen to her.' And that was really hard. Because to everyone else, it's just a story. But it's still really personal for us," Veronica Kasprzak said.

"Even that basic question, 'How many kids do you have?' is a constant reminder. And I have to tell most people, 'I have three boys.' Because when people find out that don't know or don't make that immediate connection, they don't know how to handle that. You tell them, 'Oh yeah, I have four kids but my daughter was murdered two years ago.' They don't know how to handle that. And so you just end up carrying it by yourself," she said.

Pressuring peers

Dennis and Veronica Kasprzak said they believe the key to solving their daughter's murder will come from one of Annie's peers.

"We believe that's kind of the breaking point of this case, is knowledge that a peer may have shared with another about the case. That's what we're hoping. Or something they shared with their parents and they're worried about reporting their kids, something of that nature," Dennis Kasprzak said.

On the night of March 10, Annie disappeared from her home near 12800 South and 2300 West. She was believed to be in her room doing homework.

Annie was last seen at 7:45 p.m. She was initially reported to police as a runaway at 8:43 p.m.

Veronica Kasprzak said her daughter would never have left the house unless someone Annie knew were involved.

"Annie, especially at night, would have never left the house unless she had a plan," she said. "Annie didn't do stuff on her own. She was as social as it gets for a teenager. She left to meet somebody. And whether it's the person she met with or somebody else that was there, that's who knows what happened."

Veronica Kasprzak said she's confident detectives working the case will find out what happened, and she encouraged the person responsible to surrender now.

"I would anticipate that if we can't move on from it, they can't either. They are always thinking about, 'Well, what if I said something? When will they find out? When will they catch me?' That's never going to stop. We aren't going to stop because it's hard, because that would be worse," she said.

There is still a $5,000 reward being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible.

Remembering Annie

Dennis and Veronica Kasprzak said they do not have any vigils planned this year in honor of their daughter. Instead, they plan to attend a Utah Jazz game and recall fond memories of how Annie would root for the L.A. Lakers just because everyone else in the family was a diehard Jazz fan.

At the bridge where Annie's shoe was found, someone left flowers and a note Monday.

Dennis Kasprzak said his daughter would have turned 17 in January.

"I'm sure she would have wrecked a car by now," he said with a laugh. "That's one of those things we just plan on. She didn't get to go to a junior prom this year. She didn't get to go to any dances with boys and date. She'd be getting ready to graduate this next year and getting ready to move forward in her life and become an adult. Her siblings miss her.

"You can't give up on your children. She's gone, but we're still here. Our resolve will always be to fight for Annie and make sure this case continues until it's solved."

Popular Comments

This is just one more sad story about victims in a sex obsessed society. The
girl went out for a social adventure. The predator had other plans which were
probably fueled by pornography and drugs. Both pornography and drugs are viewed
by radical
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8:20 a.m. March 11, 2014

Top comment

concretebo

Sandy, UT

So I am curious , with all the technology we have in Google Earth could they not
zero in on location and see if what it might spark up? maybe a lead ? Maybe a
vehicle, IDK.I was surprised that they (Malaysia) lost an airplane last
week. Surely
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8:12 a.m. March 11, 2014

Top comment

neece

Logan, UT

I am so sorry for your loss. No matter what the circumstances are it is never
easy. My Brother was shot and killed in Fresno California 1 month before his
27th Birthday. Fortunately the man turned himself in, unfortunately his parents
had money and
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Pat is a veteran police and courts reporter for the Deseret News and KSL and has covered some of the biggest stories in Utah for the past two decades. He is a graduate of Michigan State University with a BA in journalism.